Yankees Legend CC Sabathia Endorses Red Sox Fireballer Payton Tolle

The Boston Red Sox have a young star on their hands in Payton Tolle.

Sep 22, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Payton Tolle (70) throws a pitch against the Cleveland Guardians in the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Boston Red Sox have one of the very best young pitchers in baseball in lefty flamethrower Payton Tolle.

Don't just take that from an analyst, but instead listen to a Hall of Famer. Six-time All-Star and fellow big lefty CC Sabathia spoke to Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe and had a lot of good things to say about Tolle and even said, "He’s top of the league as far as stuff goes."

"I love watching him, and I love his personality," Sabathia said. "I don’t think I could have pitched the way he does. I was always way more emotional and upset. It’s fun to see him have that disposition.
“He’s top of the league as far as stuff goes. I love the way he attacks guys. When you have stuff like that, you should throw the ball over the plate and he seems to get that.”

The Yankees Legend Sees Big Things From Payton Tolle

Sep 29, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Payton Tolle (70) pitches against the New York Yankees during the second inning of game one of the Wildcard round of the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Sabathia knows a thing or two about having success in the majors. He finished his 19-year Hall of Fame big league career with six All-Star nods, one Cy Young Award, one World Series ring and a 3.74 career ERA in 561 total appearances.

This is a guy who knows what he's talking about. So, the fact that he's spoken this highly of Tolle should give Red Sox fans hope for the future. Tolle didn't even make the 2026 Opening Day roster and yet he started Game 1 of the postseason. Tolle made 26 starts in the regular season in 2026 and logged a 3.03 ERA and a 171-to-41 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 148 2/3 innings pitched. His first start of the 2026 campaign came on April 23, nearly a month after the regular season began. From there, Tolle broke out and gave Boston a chance to win every fifth day.

Tolle is just 24 years old and should realistically just get better. His advanced metrics were great in 2026. Tolle finished in the 95th percentile in expected ERA, 96th percentile in chase rate, 98th percentile in extension, 90th percentile in expected batting average against and 86th percentile in strikeout rate, among others.

Tolle has the potential to be special. If you watch him take the hill one or two times, you can see that. The fact that he already has Hall of Famers saying the same should give Boston hope. The future is bright, to say the least.